Whenever traditions change, fans find it a bit difficult to adapt to the differences right away. Notably, in some cases, change might not always be a good thing, and LIV Golf fans are realizing it the hard way. It is now known that LIV Golf will be going through a massive shift this year. Starting in February, the tournament will be adopting a more traditional 72-hole format. But while all of these changes are yet to be materialized, one broadcasting change has already caused frustration among fans. TV viewing experience is something that is a major part of a sports experience. And as fans crave a smoother, complication-free affair, the Saudi-backed league has seemingly messed things up.
The LIV Golf Promotions 2026 is currently underway. With a lot of spots up for grabs, aspiring golfers are battling it out to come to the forefront. As LIV Golf signed a massive new broadcasting contract with TNT for fans in the UK, besides its already existing Fox deal in the USA, the excitement factor was pretty high. However, as the viewers tuned into the broadcast, they noticed something different. Instead of the traditional pylon displayed by the LIV Golf during tournaments, an entirely different stat board appeared. And fans were not too pleased about it.
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Now, for the uninitiated, a pylon refers to the on-screen graphic that displays the leaderboard and other data for the viewers. The pylon provided significant data on the player and team standings. Such a practice made the viewership experience all the more innovative and immersive.
To further intrigue the fans’ interest, the pylon used Augmented Reality to display features like wind speed, ‘splash zones’ and more. With such a fan favorite feature being discontinued, the audience expectedly had a meltdown. As a result, they took to social media to express their frustrations.
Fans lash out at LIV Golf for messing up with the broadcast
As soon as the change became known, fans took to social media. One such fan who was left infuriated and disappointed by the new broadcast took a blatant dig and commented, “They just flashed a full screen leaderboard up between holes… I fear they’ve killed the live pylon.” The netizen who appears to be an avid gold enthusiast further explained, “It was such a broadcast differentiator, and it would be a big backwards move. Hope I’m wrong.”
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Echoing the same thoughts, another X user chimed in, “The innovation of the broadcast is going backwards without the pylons”.
Previously too, LIV Golf has struggled to attract a large audience compared to the PGA Tour. Early U.S. broadcasts on The CW and Fox often drew low average viewership. That further led to questions about its commercial viability.
May 17, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Bryson DeChambeau reacts after a shot on the first hole during the second round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Valhalla Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Another fan seemed concerned about LIV’s opening event for the 2026 season. “This is a TV broadcasted event. I find it hard to believe that they would have different scorebugs for different events. They had the pylon in the promotions last year. If it’s still like this in Riyadh, should I just relax or should I voice my concern then?”, read the comment from the dissatisfied fan.
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Back in 2023, the early broadcasts were criticized for commentary that felt more like “propaganda” or “marketing” for the new league. Several golf fans complained about how they felt that it was more about promoting the league than the sport.
One netizen took a direct hit and said, “It’s trash and let’s pray it’s not here to stay.” Sharing similar concerns, another fan shared their personal opinion and stated, “Just face it. LIV is dying now. I hate this. I loved LIV but they have basically just turned into any other tour now.”
While their struggle with broadcasting issues continues, LIV Golf has also faced another setback as Brooks Koepka, alongside Pat Perez and Kevin Na have stepped away from the league. With fans fuming over broadcast changes and star players walking away, LIV Golf’s fight to stay relevant looks more uncertain than ever.
The post All Fans Issue the Same Complaint as LIV Golf Unveils New Broadcast Format appeared first on EssentiallySports.